In Case
by laurenwrites
Summary: You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Or, in which Beck and Jade decide to split up. Bade.
1. Part One

**Ever since I started shipping Beck and Jade, I've wanted to write a break-up fic. I don't know why, but I think when you split the two of them apart, you realize just how interconnected their lives are. So that's what I'm writing about.**

**Also, in case (pun intended) you were wondering where the title comes from - it's a song on Demi Lovato's new album. Give it a listen.**

* * *

He sits in his truck for just over five hours.

The clouds that loom over the Los Angeles sky have been pouring rain on the city for days now, and if Beck weren't so detached from everything he might actually notice the bolts of lightening that shake the ground outside of the truck. He sits in silence, refusing to walk into the apartment that will only scream at him with all things _Jade_. It's only when it starts to get dark that he realizes he should check the phone he's abandoned for too long. He reaches into his back pocket to pull out the device, finding that—surprise?—people are actually concerned with his whereabouts.

Though he knows it's unrealistic, the first name he searches (unsuccessfully) for is hers. Her plane has most definitely landed by now; that he's sure of. What he's not so sure of is how he's going to get used to having her vanished from his life. Since none of them are from her, Beck ignores the fact that he has six missed calls and a few text messages. He's sure Andre will come looking for him soon enough, and he can explain his reasons for missing the family dinner planned for tonight to his mother later on.

The thought of his parents brings him the sickening thought of having to tell people about the split. How would his mother—his sweet, kind-hearted mother, whom Beck is certain loves Jade even more than her own son—react to the news that, no, the girl she's grown so fond of will _not_ be the recipient of her grandmother's engagement ring? How will he show up at the next dinner, which his parents host on the first Friday evening of every month, without the girl who's accompanied him to every single one? Without the girl who fixes his tie and tousles his hair and ensures that they're on time for his parents each time?

Brushing the depressing thoughts aside for the time being, Beck shoves his phone back into his jeans and pushes his truck door open. He pays no attention to the heavy rain, but instead shuffles into the apartment complex and hastily makes his way up to #408.

.

**_One Month Earlier_**

_It's nearly two in the morning when Jade thrusts open the door of the home she shares with her boyfriend of seven years. She's certain he's asleep, but that thought is disproven when she sees his bedside lamp is turned on from inside their room._

_"Hi," she whispers upon entering the bedroom. "What are you doing up so late?" As she speaks, she throws her leather jacket to the floor and begins to take off her earrings._

_"Waiting up for you," Beck replies, his tone suggesting that there couldn't be any other possible reason. Jade knows him well enough to notice that he seems upset, but she's seemingly clueless as to why. She doesn't speak again, instead continuing to undress herself—but he has no intent of simply going back to sleep. "Where've you been?"_

_"I went out with Sienna and Tori after work. We just grabbed drinks at the Roosevelt, nothing big," she explains, moving to the bathroom to start her nightly routine._

_"You didn't think to text me?"_

_Jade, surprised by his sudden irritation, furrows her dark eyebrows as she finishes washing her face. "I didn't know you'd be this bothered by it," she answers honestly. "Besides, I knew you'd probably be exhausted from school and want to get to bed early anyways." Beck is silent for the entire time she brushes her teeth and finishes applying all of her facial and lip crèmes. He watches as she turns off the light and begins settling into their bed. He's quiet for a few more minutes, until,_

_"It's not just about tonight." He's staring at her clear blue eyes, and she gets a nervous feeling in her stomach from the eerie tone he's speaking in._

_"Beck," she says, turning her body fully towards him. "What are you talking about?"_

_He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, contemplating how best to deliver the words that seem so jumbled in his mind. "I think you take our relationship for granted." Jade looks confused—and certainly offended—by his claim. When she doesn't reply, he decides to give her the explanation he knows she deserves._

_"I know we've been together for forever. You were my first girlfriend; I was your first boyfriend—I get it. I just feel like you don't really see us going anywhere…like you're just with me because you always have been and because it's easy."_

_If Jade thought Beck would be tired—physically and emotionally—after a full day of classes and work, she's definitely gone back on that thought now. He looks ready and eager as ever to talk this out, whereas she feels like she's just been suddenly hit with a ton of bricks. It doesn't help that she's still a little tipsy from the bar, either._

_"That's not true," is her first argument. "I also don't understand where all of this is coming from. It's two o'clock in the morning on a Wednesday, and this feels very arbitrary."_

_"Tell me something," he says. "Where do you see us in five years?"_

_"Beck, I—"_

_"Come on," he interrupts. "Come on, Jade. We've been dating since we were fourteen; we've got a little over a year before we graduate college; it's a perfectly normal question. Where do you see us?"_

_She's at a loss for words. Her mouth falls slightly open, but forms nothing for him. If she's being perfectly honest, she hasn't given it much thought. She knows, though, that that answer won't satisfy him. "I guess, maybe…in a nicer apartment. We'll be getting jobs as guest stars or minor roles in movies. I hope my career has at least somewhat taken off by then."_

_Beck sighs. "Exactly. That's exactly what I thought you'd say."_

_"Um," she mutters, "and what's wrong with that? What's wrong with wanting us to make progress in the industry we're busting our asses to break into?"_

_"I didn't ask you about your job ambitions, Jade. That's the problem. I asked you about us. About you and me, and where you saw our relationship in five years." She's stunned to silence, giving him the opportunity to continue. "Have you even thought about the possibility of marriage? Or maybe, God forbid," he furthers, sarcasm dripping from his biting words, "having a family?"_

_Jade tries to swallow past the lump that's formed in her throat. She doesn't know whether she's more frustrated, afraid, or angry—and she hates the dissonance that's beginning to consume her. "I don't know, Beck. I don't think about those things. I'm comfortable with the way things are between us right now. I don't see any reason to change anything about our relationship."_

_"How can you even say that?" He sputters, raising his voice in a just-noticeable-enough manner. "How can you be okay with having no shared path that we have to look forward to?"_

_"What do you mean? You think that going to a courtroom and signing a piece of paper together is going to somehow make things different in our relationship than they already are? That's ridiculous."_

_At this point, Beck rises so he can begin pacing back and forth beside the bed. "I don't understand," he muses. "We're not in high school, Jade. We're adults in a committed relationship; we should be talking about normal things—things like marriage and kids and—"_

_"Since when do you want normal?" She retorts. "Since when have you ever wanted a white picket fence with two point five kids and a dog? You and I both know that that has never been the life we planned for."_

_She barely finishes her sentence before his words come rushing again out of his mouth. "When we were young and stupid! We planned those things when we were naïve enough to believe that things could always stay the same—and so would we." He crawls back onto the bed and sits facing her. He takes her hands in his and looks right into her eyes. "I'm not asking for a completely regular, boring life. I want to be an actor as badly as you do, Jade. I want to have a career in this business, as tough as it may be. But more than that—more than I want anything—I want a life with you. I want to know that, one day in the future, I can ask you to be my wife and you'll say yes. And that, one day after that, we can have a child together."_

_Jade wonders if the complete panic she feels inside is showing on her face. She wishes she knew the words to ease his mind, but she's also completely positive that those words won't be coming to her—especially not tonight. It's silent for an uncomfortable several minutes, until,_

_"Can we just go to sleep?" Her voice is timid and desperate—much different than he's ever used to hearing it. As flustered as Beck is, he lets out a long breath and nods his head._

_"Yeah. Yeah, let's just go to sleep."_

_Jade is thankful for his compliance and, after slipping underneath the covers, curls up next to him and allows him to pull her into his arms. It's something she can't help—something neither one of them can fall asleep without doing. Even in their worst fights (excluding the two times in high school they'd decided to "break up"), they can't go to sleep unless he's holding her. They've been furious with each other—they've broken things and had yelling matches—but they always end up in the same spot every night without fail._

_It just doesn't feel right, Beck has reasoned with himself, if she's not sleeping right where he can protect her. As for Jade, she'd given up on her unwillingness to be dependent on another person long ago—around the time she realized she couldn't sleep unless his arms were wrapped around her body. They fit together perfectly, and within several short minutes they've both fallen asleep._

.

Once Beck approaches the door, he silently enters his own apartment. The one-bedroom—no thanks to Beck and all thanks to Jade—has a chic, bohemian decor. It's a style that fits the couple perfectly, and one that is complimented by nearly everyone who has entered their home.

The first thing that appears in Beck's line of vision when he drops his keys on the kitchen table is an empty wine glass. Though he knows he'd been the one to drain the cup, he can't help but be reminded of her and the nightly glass (or two) she always loved to have. Without registering the action beforehand, Beck impulsively grabs it and throws it across the room. The glass hits the wall head-on, which effectively shatters it to pieces.

Instead of bothering to pick it up, he pulls a beer out of the refrigerator and plops himself on the couch. He turns on the television to create a white noise that he hopes can distract him from his thoughts, but it doesn't prevail. As he starts to let his mind wander, he forces himself to quit doing what he's been doing for the last five hours. Replaying the last month of arguments, Beck reminds himself, will do nothing but make him angrier.

Unfortunately for him, it seems to be the only thing occupying his entire conscious.

.

**_Two Weeks Earlier_**

_"What are you going to do, Jade? Huh? What—you just want to leave? You want to break up and throw all of this away?"_

_She can't tell if Beck is being serious or sarcastic, and frankly she's not sure it really matters. He's extremely frustrated with her, and—due to his desire to over-talk everything combined with her avoidance of discussing the future—their communication has never been so strained. "Why are you acting like this?" She stares at him, her blue eyes wide and arms folded against her chest. "I love you, Beck. I don't want to break up; I want things to stay how they are."_

_"Just stay how they are," he repeats, his tone remaining harsh. "You're fine if we never get past this stage of our relationship—committed, but not married. No kids. No family."_

_"Why do we have to talk about this?" She asks, clearly begging him to drop the subject. "It only causes problems. We've both been on edge for almost two weeks now, and I'm sick of it! This stupid fighting isn't necessary!"_

_"It is necessary!" He argues. "This is our future we're talking about—and you're telling me that you are completely fine if we never have a family together!"_

_Finally, she bursts. "I've never said I wanted a family! You're trying to act shocked—as if you just learned two weeks ago that I don't want to be a mother. You've known me since I was a freshman in high school, and never once in the last seven years have I ever agreed with you about having kids. You bring it up every once in a while, and I always shut down the idea. Always."_

_"But why?!" He exclaims. "Why don't you want that someday for us? I'm not asking you to get pregnant tomorrow, Jade; I just want to know that that's in our future! I've always assumed that you'd change your mind about the topic as we got older and more mature," he mutters, the words coming off to her as nothing but condescending._

_"Oh, so because I don't want kids I'm less mature than you?" She retorts, setting down the dish she'd just dried for fear that she'll throw it at him if she keeps it in her hand. "Is that how you see it, Beck? Tell me, please, how you make sense of that!"_

_"I didn't say that—"_

_"But you implied it! You think less of me because I want to spend my life with a job as an actress and a singer instead of changing diapers and breastfeeding. That's not fair to me!"_

_"Well I'm sorry that you're too busy planning your life to consider the part of it that includes me. Or does your plan for the future even include me?"_

_"Beck, stop it!"_

_"No, really! You go on ahead and plan away! If we're not going to have a family together one day, then I guess we can just be free and chill out. What does giving life a meaning matter, anyways?"_

_"Do you even hear yourself?" She cries. "You're being fucking insane! What the hell has gotten into you?"_

_"Maybe the realization that this is all a mistake!"_

_"That what's a mistake?!" She shouts before she can convince herself not to._

_"Us!" He yells back, his eyes darkening. "You and me! We're never going to make each other happy enough! It's not going to work!"_

_Putting aside the fact that she feels like someone has just put a knife through her chest, Jade wants to reply. She wants to cry and scream at him and tell him how disappointed in him she is. She wants to tell him how afraid she is of losing him, and beg him to stop acting like such an asshole. Instead, though, she lets him taste his words. She says nothing, rather choosing to grab her purse and make a hasty exit from the apartment. She slams the door, feeling the need to take some anger out on something other than him, and dials Tori's number on the walk to the elevator._

_Beck, still standing at the same spot in which the malicious words had come flying out in a fit of rage, can't decide whether he hates her or himself more. He hates the way he loves her so much it scares even him. He hates the pit he feels in his stomach without her there. He hates the fact that his brain is constantly—whether it's consumed with the past, present or future—filled with nothing but Jade. More than anything, he hates that it'd just been him that had caused her tears._

_He sits on the couch to wait up for her, refusing to go to their bedroom and accept what he knows—she's not coming home tonight. Neither one of them gets any sleep._

Thirteen days later, her bags are packed.

* * *

If you'd want me to write a second part, let me know.


	2. Part Two

You asked for it, here it is.

* * *

Thirteen days later, her bags are packed. Her one-way plane ticket sits on kitchen counter, her transfer from the University of Southern California to New York University for her senior year complete. After seven years of dating, it'd been nearly impossible to distinguish her items from his; since they were fourteen, they'd basically been operating on the "what's mine is yours and yours is mine" premise. Even things that should be clearly _his_ or_ hers_, like clothing, were tough to divide. She takes his red plaid button-up and a t-shirt that had practically become hers, but leaves him all of the kitchen and laundry items. Jade knows that her father will have no issue compensating for everything she's losing in the break-up; she wasn't surprised when—upon hearing about her split from the boy he never thought was good enough for her—he bought her a beautiful penthouse suite on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

The apartment in Los Angeles is empty—if not physically, then intimately. Without the brunette who had kept the walls vibrating with the sounds of the piano and the ambiance funny and spontaneous, the small home feels drastically different. And as Beck mopes in the cushions of the living room couch, he only wishes he had the energy to leave so he'd be anywhere but there. As much as he wants to rid his living space of anything that even triggers a reminder of her, he knows it's an impossible feat. The table that sits to the left of him, even, holds a picture frame of the two of them—one of the dozens adorning the various walls and surfaces.

The photo had been taken by Daphne Oliver at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center. Her husband lay in the hospital bed after his run-in with the vicious dog, and Beck and Jade stand on either side of them. All three of them have both thumbs up, a humorous idea that'd been thought up by Mrs. Oliver intending to make the atmosphere much lighter. (It had.)

Leaving out the quick trip to the emergency room, that night is one that holds an irreplaceable spot in both Jade and Beck's hearts—one that he can replay in his mind as if he's watching it on a television.

They'd been sitting against the wall on Beck's bed, fully clothed and curled up together. He'd squeezed her hand and reassured her that the dog ordeal was _not_ her fault—how could she have known the dog would go nuts?—and they'd spent their time kissing passionately to "make up for lost time."

It was that night that they decided to give themselves to each other for the first time. For the twenty minutes that it lasted, Beck's only concerns were to please her and keep her comfortable.

He succeeded in both.

Jade, much to her enjoyment, was also able to give him the satisfaction she knew he deserved. In the months after that night, they'd taken the time to explore each other's bodies in ways they never had before. If they thought they'd discovered anything that night, they quickly proved them wrong. Those twenty minutes, the couple soon found, would be put harshly to shame by the experiences they were having by the end of sophomore year. Not surprisingly, it only got better from there.

Beck winces at the possibility of never getting to have that with her again. After seven years of making love to her, he can't imagine sharing his bed—or his heart—with another woman. He doesn't even allow himself to think about _her_ with anyone else; it's those thoughts that he's sure would put a nail in his coffin.

It's four o'clock in the morning when the pain in his back from sitting upright for so long finally agitates Beck enough to make him move. He stands up, stretching as he does, and reluctantly stalks into the bedroom. Not bothering to change into anything more comfortable, he falls backwards onto the bed—and promptly into the soft duvet that Jade had picked out.

As soon as his body hits the mattress, he smells it. Chanel No 5—the perfume Jade has used since she was fourteen. Although her stepmother had been useless for just about everything else, she'd introduced Jade to the fragrance that the young girl would soon become addicted to. It was something to identify as _hers_, and Beck certainly wasn't complaining; he'd come to recognize the scent as that of his girlfriend, and it eventually blended into their life together so smoothly that almost everything they owned smelled a bit like it.

Hard as he could try, Beck knows he can't escape it—and it makes him angry to the core. This is _his _bed now—not _their_ bed; how is it fair that her smell is so engrained in the piece of furniture that he can't breathe anything else? He's furious, silently lying on his back without a clue of what to do.

Why doesn't she want to marry him? Why doesn't she want to be his wife and have his children and be a _family_, dammit? Why does she make everything so difficult? Why can't she be here, to curl up against his body and draw shapes on his chest with her fingers and kiss his neck and fall asleep with him? They've slept together—tangled up like Christmas lights—since their freshman year of high school. Why doesn't she want to be here with him now to do that for another night?

After roughly half an hour, the exhaustion that's been steadily seeping into his bones overtakes him, and he closes his eyes to sleep. He tosses and turns for the remainder of the night, continuously trying to convince himself each time he wakes up that the past twenty-four-hours was nothing but a nightmare.

The following week essentially goes all the same. Without Jade, Beck finds that he has more free time than he knows what to do with. She used to take him on spontaneous mini-adventures—no matter the time of day or night. His hours were constantly occupied with _her_, and he loved how she could always keep him on his toes.

He wakes up that next Sunday morning with another massive hangover due to all of the extra beer he's been drinking. When he walks into the kitchen—which hasn't been cleaned since Jade left—he turns on the coffee machine and begins brewing a pot. Although he won't admit it now, Beck isn't even a huge fan of the caffeinated beverage—something he hadn't realized until he was drinking it alone instead of with his addicted girlfriend. Needless to say, however, coffee reminds him of Jade. And so he drinks it every morning regardless. He makes two cups, just like usual, to try to ease the pain of knowing that one of them won't be had by her.

After draining both cups, he tosses the last two mugs into the sink, which has been piling up with dirty dishes for days. He guesses he'll be using the styrofoam cups from here on out. As he opens the refrigerator to replace the coffee creamer from where he'd taken it, he sees something hanging that he's been trying to forget is there. The white, rectangular card is being held up by a colorful, fish-shaped magnet that they'd gotten on a trip with his parents to The Virgin Islands.

Beck's cousin, Dylan, and his fiancé Josie sent out their wedding invitations several months ago. For weeks, Beck had been looking forward to taking Jade as his date—and maybe even bringing her as his own fiancé. Each time he'd pass by the fridge and see it hanging, he'd get a bubbly feeling in his stomach at the thought of a piece of paper like that with _their _names on it. As he stares at it now, though, he wishes he could rip it to shreds without feeling completely ridiculous.

Next to the invite for the wedding, which is set to take place several months from now, another magnet holds up the phone number for the acting agency he was expecting a call from. He'd received a call several days ago about being selected in the top three for a guest role he auditioned for last week. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't find anyone to tell that he knew wouldn't fake excitement for him. There's only one person he'd normally have even cared to tell, anyways.

Ever since Beck confessed his dream of one day being an actor to her, Jade has constantly been his number one supporter. She encourages him, brings him his favorite wine to celebrate progress, and is _always_ excited to hear his news. He took that for granted, he knows, and now he has no one to share things with who would care as much as she would.

He wants to kill himself for fucking that up.

Instead, he pulls a beer out—ignoring the fact that it's ten thirty on a Sunday morning—and makes his way back into the living room.

The apartment is disgusting. Clothes, beer bottles, pizza boxes, and other various items litter the once-clean floor. It's not that Beck doesn't know how to pick up after himself—Jade had made certain he learned how once they moved in together—but he doesn't see the sense in cleaning anymore. There's no one to be bothered by it, anyways.

Until the apartment's doorbell rings.

Beck sits up immediately, confused as to who would be at his door. He'd returned most of his parents' and friends' texts—confirming with a word or two that he was "fine"—giving them no reason to have to come over.

He almost doesn't open the door when he sees who it is through the peephole, but he knows too well that the woman on the other side deserves more respect than that.

"Hi, Honey," is the first thing out of her mouth. Daphne Oliver, who has always maintained a close relationship with her only son, hadn't exactly expected just how miserable he would look.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" His words lack any trace of venom, but she can tell that he's exhausted and flustered and probably a bit drunk.

"You think I'm dumb enough to believe that you're really _fine_ after all that's happened?" She says, raising her eyebrow at him as she sets her purse on the entryway table.

"I am fine," he replies, closing the door behind her. "You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm a mother," Daphne reminds him. "My job is to worry about you. Beck, this place is a pigsty. How can you live in this?" As the older woman walks around the apartment, she's already starting to pick up dirty clothes and toss them into a pile. She stands to look back up at her son. "You've never had to do your own laundry, huh?" He shrugs.

Beck, who had lived in the RV until the start of his second year of college to save money, had moved in with Jade just before beginning their sophomore year together. When he'd lived with his parents, either Consuela or Daphne had always been around to wash his clothes. Then Jade, who never minded doing laundry and actually found it somewhat therapeutic, would do his and hers at least twice a week.

"Let's at least clean this place up a bit," the woman suggests, her heart aching for her son's own broken one. Once they've worked together to pick up most of the trash, and machines to clean the dishes and the clothes have been started, the two sit down on his couch together. It's quiet for several minutes because Daphne is unsure how to start the touchy conversation. Lucky for her, she doesn't have to say much.

"I'm guessing Jade told you," Beck says, running a hand through his sloppy hair. He's right—and Daphne had already gotten most of the details in a recent call from the girl she'd really already started considering her daughter-in-law.

"She did," the caring mother answers honestly. "Do you want to tell me your side of it?"

He sighs, and he can't help but wonder what Jade had told her. But he's far too prideful to ask, and he knows that—knowing Jade—it was probably nothing short of the exact truth.

"She doesn't want a family," he finally says, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. "She doesn't want to be married or have kids someday. She's being selfish—I don't deserve that."

"You don't," Daphne confirms, keeping her voice level. "Do you think you were pressuring her—"

"You don't have to pretend like you're not on her side," Beck interrupts. "I know you are." His mother tilts her head, seeming to gently chastise him with only a look. "It's no secret that you and Jade are all buddy-buddy."

"Beck," she says, stifling a laugh, "I've known Jade for seven years, and, you're right, I am very fond of her. I don't have a daughter—or even any sisters—so I have found myself thinking of her as my own daughter. You know that. But you've never resented me for it. In fact, I've always thought you were happy with my relationship with Jade. I've certainly always been happy with yours."

"You think I should just dump my hopes of being a husband and father in the trash just because she wants to live a life focused on her career?" He seems more offended now, but they both know it's not Daphne he's angry with.

"No, I absolutely don't," she replies. "But Beck, sweetheart, you have to consider that she didn't grow up the same way as you did. Her views on marriage and children and what it means to have a family are very different than yours."

"But what does that have to do with _us_? We would be different—she knows that. We could have our own family, but she doesn't even want to try."

Daphne smiles sympathetically and rests her hand atop her son's. "I think that you and Jade might have some things to talk about. Whether or not that happens will depend on whether or not you want it to. It doesn't have to be soon—I think right now you both need a little bit of space anyways. But if you love her as much as I think you do, you'll find a way to work it out."

.

.

Jade is in New York for two weeks before she finds a job that she doesn't find too terrible. While her father had harshly objected to her working (he could provide anything she needed and more), she'd insisted on the necessity of it. Despite the fact that she has no desire to be any position higher than her current intern status at Capitol Records, she needed something to occupy her time so that she'd have less of it to think about Beck.

Sure, she wishes she were using that time to write scripts and other stories—but that reminds her of _him_, and she doesn't have any inspiration at the moment anyways.

She puts all of her efforts into the summer classes she's taking, even though she's smart enough to get As in them without trying too hard at all. She forces herself not to think about him during the day, using school and work as constant distractions from the wrenching that aches at her heart. She loves New York City more than anything—there's something she finds so incredibly comforting about a big city full of lonely people. She may be lonely, but she's never alone.

At least, during the day, she isn't.

It's her third Friday in the City when a girl in her European Literature class asks Jade if she'd want to join her and some of her friends out for drinks at a popular nightclub.

"Thanks, but I'm busy tonight," she lies.

"Are you sure?" The girl, a Manhattan native who'd introduced herself on the second day of class as Spencer, is intuitive enough to see the pain behind Jade's blue eyes. She hasn't seen the brunette say as much as a word to anyone, and she seems to always be on her own. Sadly, a few discussions with Jade have made her the closest thing she has to a friend. "It's going to be really fun, I think. And you could meet some really cool girls—cute guys, too," she adds, hoping it'll help convince her.

"I've got a ton of homework," Jade says, almost apologetically. She's no stranger to turning down offers to socialize; since moving to New York, she's been asked on dates by five guys and invited to go out with co-workers several times. Still unable to get herself in the right mood to do so, Jade rejects yet another request. "Maybe some other time." She leaves before Spencer can say anything else, hopping onto the subway that will take her to her job.

By the time she returns home after volunteering to stay late (again), it's close to ten o'clock at night. Once she's fixed herself a salad, she sits at the kitchen table and starts scrolling through anything she may have missed on her phone. She replies to a text from Tori, with whom she's kept in good contact since the move, as well as a text from Daphne concerning something irrelevant that they'd discussed earlier. Once there's nothing more to distract her, she stares back down at her bowl of salad.

She wonders, for the hundredth time, what Beck has been eating. Without her to cook for him and make sure he's not eating junk food all the time, she's sure he's living off of pizza and beer. She almost hates herself for it, but she can't help but worry about him; she knows how much he once relied on her to make him food that he loves.

The thoughts of Beck begin to cloud her head, and soon—just like every other night since their split—she's consumed with him. She takes a mindless shower, subsequently drying off and changing into a pair of underwear and his red plaid shirt. It's extremely faded (seeing how she has to wash it every few days after sleeping in it every single night) but she doesn't care. She crawls onto the king-sized bed, placing the two body pillows on either side of her as a normal part of her nightly routine.

Growing up in her father's mansion of a house, Jade'd had her own room with her own queen bed—and it overwhelmed her. She felt small in such a big bed inside a big room, inside a big, emotionally empty house. As a child, she'd always placed her two big pillows on either side of her; she wasn't ever able to explain it, but she realized as she got older that the reasoning behind it was textbook—it made her feel secure.

Sleeping with Beck in the bed in his RV did even more for that desire—that _need_—to feel wanted and protected. His bed was small, but it could have been a king for all the couple who occupied it cared; they slept, curled up together, in the center of the mattress every night.

Once she's surrounded by pillows and her lights are off, she folds herself into a tiny ball and wonders if she'll be able to stop the tears from falling another night. So far, she's been unsuccessful. Time after time, she turns down offers from potential friends and invitations to fun work parties and dates with attractive men—all so that she can lay alone and cry herself to sleep. It's something different every night, usually—something new about _him_ or _them_ or the breakup that pops into her mind and starts the waterworks.

Tonight, it's the thought of him eating pizza. She knows it's ridiculous, but this is the boy she loves—and she wants him to take care of himself. The thought of him trying to complete regular household tasks _alone_ (when he can barely fold a towel or make cereal) absolutely breaks her heart. It'd taken him nearly five years to truly convince her that he _needed_ her, and Jade had found that she adored the feeling of being needed. She loved being able to take care of him, in a different—but just as important—way than how he took care of _her_.

She's not needed anymore, she realizes. And that's when she starts to cry.

It's nearly July when Daphne Oliver finally gets the opportunity to fly up to New York to visit the girl she hasn't seen in just over a month. Jade is waiting for her at Baggage Claim, and she feels a wave of relief wash over her when she sees the woman—who has truly been the mother Jade never had—walking towards her. As soon as they meet, Daphne pulls the younger girl into a tight, loving embrace.

"You're skinny," is the first thing the matriarch says, squeezing Jade's forearms as she looks her up and down. "Are you eating?" When Jade doesn't reply, Daphne slings her arm back around her son's ex-girlfriend and hugs her close. "That's alright—we'll fix that this weekend. We're going to all the best restaurants; I want to do New York _right_."

Jade laughs and helps the other woman with her suitcase so they can head outside to catch a taxi. "So, tell me," Daphne starts. "How's the City?"

"It's different," Jade answers. "Much different than LA, but I'm getting used to it." The small talk only lasts for the remainder of the cab ride; they both know they're reserving the heavier conversation for somewhere more private. Once they arrive at Jade's penthouse—by which Daphne is appropriately impressed—and the visitor has placed her bags in the furnished guest room, Jade pours two glasses of wine and leads the woman outside to the bench on her balcony. The sun is setting behind the city's famous skyline, creating a perfect backdrop for the relaxed evening. The women are quiet for a comfortable while, but soon Jade can't contain the burning question anymore.

"How is he?" She doesn't bother hiding the look of worried concern that pains her face; she knows Daphne would be able to see right through any front Jade put up anyways.

"Not good. He's a bit of a disaster, really." Jade tries not to let the sigh of relief show, but it slips out before she can stop it. Daphne smiles sympathetically. "He doesn't know how to do his own laundry. How is that possible?"

Jade would laugh if she weren't so worried about him. "He's tried before," she reminds the older woman.

_"Okay, so you take all four corners and make sure that both sides are matched—No, not like that." Jade reaches over to fix the towel that her boyfriend is sloppily trying to fold. It's not that he's not trying his hardest—he truly is. He just sucks. _

_It takes everything Jade has not to slap his hand away at his attempts to help—she'd been reluctant to even let him anywhere near her laundry, which is perfectly handled by _only_ her—but he'd insisted on at least learning the art of folding._

_"Do you do this to all of them?" Beck's eyes are wide as he stares at the daunting pile of freshly clean, unfolded towels._

_"Yes," she answers plainly. "And all of the clothes, too—but no way in hell am I going to try to teach you all of that. We're just doing towels for now. So lay it flat, and fold a third of it over." When it becomes obvious to her that he has no idea what she means, she sets her own towel down and helps him yet again._

_"Who taught you how to do this?" He asks, in seeming amazement of her skill._

_Jade scoffs. "When I was twelve, Alice told our housekeeper to stop doing my laundry because I was old enough to do it on my own—so I learned."_

_Beck huffs, forever annoyed by and angry with Jade's selfish, obnoxious stepmother. "Alright, is this good?" He holds up the towel that his girlfriend had practically folded for him._

_"That's good," she says, adding it to her perfected stack. "Now try it by yourself."_

_Five minutes later, when she's already made it through all of the other towels, he's finally finished with the one he'd started._

_And it's bad._

_Maybe not _terrible_—maybe anyone else could accept it if it weren't for Jade's meticulousness—but it certainly doesn't meet her standards. He's smiling widely, clearly and genuinely proud of his job as he shows it off to her. "Did I do it right?"_

_Jade holds her tongue from relinquishing the critical words that she knows will disappoint him. "Yes. Yes, you did. Thank you." As she moves in for a kiss, she makes a mental note to refold his towel once he's gone._

Daphne smiles. "You're telling me you've never forced my son to do it himself?"

"I did once," Jade says, recalling the time Beck had attempted a load of laundry alone. "I mean, I didn't ask him to—he was just trying to be helpful. It was my birthday, so he got up early and started a load. I was surprised he even knew how to turn it on, but he definitely figured it out." Much to Daphne's amusement, Jade continues the story of how Beck had completely overflowed the washing machine. His girlfriend had woken in panic to the appliance's loud beeping noise, and shortly after found him in the tiny laundry room, trying desperately to clean up the mess he'd made. "There was soap all over the floor," Jade tells her, biting down on her lower lip as she remembers. "He was so upset."

She hadn't chastised him for it—he scolded himself enough. Instead, she'd laughed. And promptly began a playful war in the bubbly suds, which would quickly turn into morning sex on the soapy floor. She leaves that part out of the story, though.

It's quiet for another few, long minutes. Daphne can see that Jade is holding back tears, while the younger girl is trying desperately to keep her composure.

"Jade," she starts, her voice gentle.

"I just miss him," the brunette croaks softly as her wall begins to crack and the tears begin streaming down her face. She wipes them quickly and sniffles a few times before looking back to Daphne. "But I can't make him happy, and I know that. We all know it."

"Now, I don't believe that for a second." Daphne sets her wine glass down and takes Jade's free hand between both of hers. "Jade, you make Beck happier than anyone on this planet. You have since you were fourteen years old." She pauses, unsure how to continue. "I know my son, and I don't think he meant what he said about the two of you not working out."

"But he wants things that I can't give him," Jade reminds her, hating herself for the both the words that leave her mouth and the tears that fall down her cheeks. "He deserves someone who would be a good wife to him—not someone destined to fail." The older woman understands that Jade having to watching her parents' marriage fail miserably contributed majorly to the girl's fear of serious commitment. "I don't want Beck and I to end up like my parents," Jade continues, sniffling a bit, "but that's how it works. The rings and the papers and the wedding—it puts too much pressure on people, and then everything gets destroyed. I can't have that happen. I won't."

Daphne squeezes Jade's hand and affectionately brushes a piece of hair behind her ear. "Do you think that this—what you two are doing right now—is better?"

Jade sighs, shaking her head. "I don't know. I still love him. I think the world of him. As of right now, he doesn't think I'm a completely horrible person—but if I became his wife, I know I'd fail at meeting any sort of expectations, and he would hate me and I just can't bring myself to want to do that."

"Oh, honey," Daphne says, setting a gentle hand on Jade's knee, "I don't think Beck wants to marry you so that you'll be around to meet some kind of new expectations. I think he wants to marry you so that he can stay with you forever. He doesn't want to lose you—that's the only thing he's afraid of."

An hour later, after the conversation has gone off on unrelated tangents—Jade filling Daphne in on the events of her life and vise versa—the women return into the apartment and then to their own bedrooms. The next two days are the happiest ones Jade has had since moving to New York. She and Daphne spend the weekend shopping and dining at the best places, and Jade thinks she might cry when it's finally time for the older woman to leave. Reluctantly, the matriarch hugs her goodbye and promises to visit again before the summer's end.

For the entirety of July and the better part of August, Beck and Jade don't speak a word to each other. It's during the third week of that hot month, though, that a new text message lights up Jade's phone. She's sitting on her couch, focused on the drawing she's been working on, when she glances over to see whose name is presented on the screen. Her heart skips a beat when she sees that it's from Beck, but she tries not to let herself get too excited as she taps in her lock code to open the message.

It's simple and it's brief, but it's honest—and it's all she really needs to know.

_I miss you._


	3. Part Three

_I miss you._

* * *

Jade picks up her iPhone and contemplates a response. She could make him wait for her to reply, but she's too impatient for that. So, no more than a minute later, she's returning the text. It's short and cliché, but it's honest—just like she knows his had been.

* * *

_I miss you too._

* * *

His reply comes almost immediately.

* * *

_Are you home?_

* * *

Her first assumption is that he wants to call her, which is both exciting and terrifying. What does he want to talk about? Is he just calling to ask how she is—and not because he wants to talk about being with her again?

Instead of panicking about the conclusions she's already jumping to, Jade texts him back.

* * *

_Yeah, why?_

* * *

A mere five seconds after the text shows up as "delivered", she hears a knock at her door. Jade's sure she imagined it, but when she hears it again she realizes that her heart has nearly stopped beating. She hops instantly up from the couch, completely forgetting the fact that she's wearing no makeup, yoga pants, and Beck's t-shirt.

When she opens the door, she almost has to stop herself from crying.

"Miss West?" The Sushi Hana employee, who's donning his black uniform, is holding out the food Jade had forgotten she'd ordered. "I have your sushi. That'll be $15.04."

Jade freezes momentarily. "Oh. Yeah, just a second." She rests the door gently on the inside hinge and runs into the kitchen to grab her purse. When she returns, she quickly pays and tips the guy and closes the door fully. She's setting the take-out bag on the coffee table in the living room when there's another knock.

Jade rolls her eyes, less than satisfied with the employee's return. But when she swings open the door yet again, it's not the same person.

"I don't have sushi," he says sheepishly, "but I really miss my girlfriend."

Jade's mouth falls just slightly ajar as her blue eyes widen at his presence.

"I'm sorry, Jade. I'm so sorry. These past few months have been the worst of my life because I keep trying not to think about you when it's really all I want to do. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you and I know that I won't ever be able to. I'm sorry that I was such an asshole and that I let you walk out that damn door again. I hate myself for leaving you alone and unprotected on the other side of the country because all I want to do is protect you, Jade. All I want is to hold you and kiss you and live my life with you." Beck has barely taken a breath since he started talking, and even after he pauses, he keeps going.

"You weren't the one who was taking our relationship for granted—I was. I was selfish and stupid and I didn't really realize how much I needed you until you were gone—and I know how terrible that is because I don't know how I could ever doubt how much I need someone who I consider to be my whole world. I'm sorry that I pressured you to get married and have kids when you had a perfectly good reason for having hesitation about that stuff. I just love you so much, Jade, and I want us to be together forever and be able to share that love somehow. But I shouldn't have—"

And then she's kissing him.

Her hands go immediately to cup his cheeks, as if she's feeling him to be sure he's really there and this isn't just some dream. His arms find their place around her body as he pulls her in tightly to him and kisses her back passionately.

"I love you so much," Jade breathes between kisses. "We can't ever do that again."

"Never," he promises, moving inside the penthouse with her so that they can close the door behind them. She presses him against the wall, resting her hands on his chest as she opens her mouth to accept his tongue. His hands smooth over her curves, re-familiarizing himself with her perfect body. She unbuttons his shirt for him and he quickly shakes it off before pulling his t-shirt off of her.

When she wraps one of her legs around him, he holds onto her thigh and pulls her up to straddle his waist. Beck carries her all the way to her bedroom, gently setting her on the bed and kissing from her lips down to the bottom of her stomach. As he helps her wiggle out of her yoga pants, he continues reminding how beautiful she is and how much he's missed her.

They don't talk for the next fifteen minutes, instead simply enjoying each other's company as they make love for the first time in three months. Beck kisses every inch of her, taking in her addicting scent that he's been missing for so long.

When he finally rolls off of her, he looks over into her eyes with pure joy in his own. Jade scoots closer to him and nestles into his embrace, appreciating the way her pale, creamy skin mixes with his toned, tan muscle. She looks up at him, and her hair is messy and her eyes are wide and there's a smile on her mouth that he hasn't seen in too long.

"So," she says, blinking her long eyelashes, "you love me again?"

Beck laughs and drops a kiss to her head. "Oh, Babe," he sighs, planting another kiss-this time on her lips, "I didn't stop for a second."

.

By the end of September, Jade had moved back into the place they had both called home for two years. Her father had told her that if she was going to waste her life with someone who would never be able to provide for her, he and Alice would be using the penthouse for themselves. Jade, of course, couldn't have cared less. With Beck's help, she packed up anything that was hers (and a few things that she wanted to take) and flew back to Los Angeles with her boyfriend.

It'd been a bit of a pain, but Jade was able to reverse the transfer back to USC, thus ensuring that she and Beck would both be attending the same school again.

As it turned out, the couple isn't in Los Angeles for long before they're leaving the city again. Dylan and his fiancé are hosting their wedding in their hometown of San Francisco, so Beck and Jade are soon boarding a plane with Daphne and Walt Oliver.

Since the day Beck had called his mother and informed her that he was taking the next flight to New York City, Daphne hasn't been able to wipe the smile off her mouth. While she knew the on-again couple wouldn't last long apart, it had broken her heart to see just how miserable both of them were without each other. Needless to say, she'd been thrilled with the reunion-and excited to see her son and his girlfriend (smiling and holding hands) approaching them at the airport's gate.

After greeting his parents, the two of them take their seats and Jade leans over to rest her head on Beck's shoulder.

"You make me so happy, you know that?" He says, kissing the top of her hair. Her stomach does a flip, just like it used to do constantly when she'd first started to develop serious feelings for him. Jade smiles at him and reaches up to kiss his lips, enclosing her fingers in his.

The flight is short and mostly uneventful. Jade, never a fan of planes, is much more relaxed once she lets her boyfriend lull her into a peaceful sleep.

Once they arrive at the hotel, both couples locate their rooms—which were reserved to be right down the hall from each other—and make plans to meet for dinner in several hours. When Jade is nearly ready, with ten minutes to spare before they're supposed to be, she's finishing up her makeup in the bathroom.

"Damn. My girl looks good." As Beck leans against the doorway, his shirt still only halfway buttoned, he raises his eyebrows teasingly and she gives him a warning look.

"Don't," she tells him, trying to keep her voice stern as she watches in the mirror him walking up behind her. He wraps his arm around her waist, and she can't help but lean into his touch. She tries to hold it together when he starts kissing the back of her neck-which she knows means he's _very_ in the mood—but he's barely wearing a shirt and it would take everything she had to be able to resist him. "Beck, I'm serious," she says, her words not sounding the least bit convincing as they come out in a heavy breath—and through a breaking smile.

"We can be five minutes late," he promises, trailing his kisses down her neck and onto her shoulder. At this point, her eyes are closed in pleasure and he's supporting almost her entire weight as she leans back on him. Which is why she not only fails to object when he swoops her into his arms and carries her to the bed, but she even pulls up her dress for him once he's laid her down.

As it turns out, they're quick to find success (it would be awkward if they were _too_ late for Daphne and Walt) and are downstairs in the lobby just a few minutes after his parents.

Dinner is full of discussions about normal things like work, family, and the upcoming nuptials. Beck lets his parents in on what he'd previously told Jade—he'd landed the guest spot on the TV show. They praise him, genuinely proud of their son, and a toast is even made by Walt in honor of the talented couple that's "sure to find many successes."

The wedding, which takes place the next evening, is small and beautiful. Since Beck is a groomsman, Jade sits with his parents and watches with a smile how happy he looks for his cousin. Although the idea of a wedding and the pressure of a marriage scare her to no end, she has to admit to herself that she does like the idea of being committed to loving Beck for the rest of her life.

After the ceremony, everyone heads back to the hotel for the reception-which is being held in one of the large ballrooms. There's a dance floor and tables set up in an elegant design, and-after everyone's had plenty of food (and wine)—the DJ starts to play music that attracts everyone to the floor.

Beck drags his girlfriend on at the start of the first slow song, fully intending to show off their ballroom dancing skills. Although it's kept as a secret to most, the couple has taken dance classes together (as nothing more than a fun hobby) since they graduated high school. As a result, they look wonderful on the dance floor together.

He gets her to stay through most of the next songs, and she's just about to return to her seat when a song that she can't resist begins to play. It's the first song they'd ever slow danced to (in a stupid class at Hollywood Arts during their sophomore year) and she can't resist the smile that appears on his face as he pulls her in close to his body.

.

_Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones?_

.

"It's our song," Beck says through a cheeky grin. "We can't not dance to our song."

"We don't have a song," Jade argues, attempting to convince both of them that they're not the romantic couple that they definitely are.

.

_But luck will leave you, cause it is a faithless friend,_

_And in the end, when life has got you down,_

_You've got someone here that you can wrap your arms around._

_._

"Do too," he insists, holding her a little tighter as he looks down at her with an unreadable expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jade doesn't think she's ever seen Beck smile so big in his life. And yet he's staring at her, mesmerized.

_._

_So hold on to me tight,_

_hold on to me tonight._

_We are stronger here together,_

_than we could ever be alone._

_So hold on to me,_

_don't you ever let me go._

.

"Beck," Jade says again. "What's going on?"

A small laugh breaks through his grin. "I think I just fell in love with you all over again."

The butterflies that have been frequenting Jade's stomach return as he leans in for a kiss. While she hates both of them for putting themselves through the worst three months of their lives, she can't help but feel grateful that there was actually a purpose to it; falling in love with him was the best experience of her life—and now she gets to do it again.

"I love you so much," he says.

_._

_There's a thousand ways for things to fall apart,_

_but it's no ones fault, no it's not our fault._

.

"And," he continues, "if I can dance with you like this for the rest of my life, I'll be happy—even if you're just my girlfriend. As long as I'm with you, I'll be a happy man."

_._

_So hold on to me tight._

_Hold on, I promise it will be alright._

_Cause we are stronger here together,_

_than we could ever be alone._

_Just hold on to me,_

_don't you ever let me go._

.

Jade kisses him again, and she's sure to look right in his eyes on her next word.

"No."

Beck is taken aback, but it's not noticeable to anyone but her. "Wait, what? No?"

She laughs softly, and he has to take an extra breath because of how impossibly _perfect_ she is. "I don't want to be your girlfriend." She places her hand lightly on his cheek. "I want to be your wife."

_._

_They always said we were the lucky ones._


End file.
